The invention relates to a communications system and method, and more particularly to a system and method for providing a directory assistance service including, e.g., provision of information concerning goods and services, and locating, reserving and procuring/purchasing such goods and services, in response to a customer""s inquiry.
Concierge services are typically provided by hotels. The method generally employed is where a hotel guest, using the hotel room telephone, places a call to the hotel reception and asks to speak to the hotel concierge. The guest is connected to the concierge who then listens to the request of the hotel guest, such as a request for a restaurant reservation, and notes any preferences, such as the guest""s preference for outdoor dining. The concierge then suggests a service, an event or restaurant in accordance with the guest""s desires and preferences. The suggestion is often based on the concierge""s personal knowledge in the field, and/or by consulting a listing book or directory. Should the suggestion be satisfactory, the concierge will make the necessary reservations and inform the hotel guest of the reservation details.
Concierge services are especially useful for a visitor who is unfamiliar with an area""s services, eating establishments or upcoming events. The problem with such a service is that it is restricted to the guests at a specific hotel only. The concierge""s suggestions can also often be biased, erratic or based on limited listing or directory information. In addition to the above, the hotel guest may also need to write down the reservation details, obtain directions and arrange transportation.
Furthermore, the whole process can be slow, as access to large listings are often manually searched by the concierge. The concierge may also be limited by the type of search he/she can perform. He may not be able to search for multiple preferences simultaneously, such as for example an outdoor, non-smoking, vegetarian restaurant, in a specific area. In addition, the concierge may only be familiar with restaurants in a particular area and therefore may be of little use to a hotel guest who is departing that day for another city.
Telephone calls from one party to another are made through telephone networks, with telephone switches and private branch exchanges (xe2x80x9cPBXxe2x80x9d) employed as necessary in order to connect networks and customers. Customers frequently make use of directory assistance systems to reach their desired parties. When using a directory assistance system (sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9cdirectory assistance platformxe2x80x9d), a caller first dials the appropriate telephone number or access code. Telephone users usually access a directory assistance system through a carrier switching center. Once connected to a directory assistance provider, such as a live operator or a voice server, the caller identifies the party whose telephone number is desired. The correct number is located and may be reported to (by voice or computer-generated speech), and/or dialed for, the caller. It is increasingly common for directory assistance systems to connect the caller to the caller""s desired number in addition to, or in place of, simply providing the number to the caller. This is particularly helpful to callers using cellular or other forms of wireless telephones, who may be engaged in other activities at the same time and therefore unable to take note of the number as it is recited. Typically, once the caller has been given the number and/or the number is dialed for the caller, the caller""s connection through the directory assistance platform is terminated.
Termination of the connection through the directory assistance platform has a number of disadvantages. For example, if the caller is given or connected to an incorrect telephone number, the caller must contact the directory assistance system again or inquire elsewhere to obtain the correct number. This naturally requires additional action and expense on the caller""s part. Moreover, reconnection to the directory assistance platform requires reallocation of directory assistance resources to the customer call. In view of the previous connection through the directory assistance platform, reconnection and reallocation is unnecessary, time consuming, and under some circumstances, wasteful. Similarly, even if the telephone number to which the caller is connected is correct, the line may be busy, there may be no answer, the destination party""s telephone network may be inoperable, etc. In such circumstances, the caller often will want to contact a different party, again requiring the aid of the directory assistance system. Requiring separate and repeated connections to a directory assistance platform incurs added monetary expense on the caller""s party, because directory assistance platforms typically charge a fee for each separate connection. Conversely, if a caller""s connection is maintained to the directory assistance platform, multiple actions may be taken to assist the caller without necessarily incurring such additional fees.
Prior art directory assistance systems suffer from a further disadvantage in that they typically lack dedicated resources for monitoring telephone connections to calling or called parties. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,754, one tone detecting device monitors up to 1,344 connections by using a multiplexer. The period of time for which each connection is monitored is critical to this method of operation. To service so many connections on an equal timesharing basis, the device cannot monitor one particular connection for more than a very short period of time (illustratively, on the order of milliseconds) before switching to and monitoring others. If the time period is too short, this method has the deleterious effect of requiring a party to press a key for an extended period of timexe2x80x94long enough to ensure that the monitoring digital signal processor (xe2x80x9cDSPxe2x80x9d), perhaps a dual-tone multi-frequency (xe2x80x9cDTMFxe2x80x9d) receiver, cycles back to the party""s connection in time to detect the keypressxe2x80x94or risk the possibility that the DSP will miss the party""s keypress. Another disadvantage to this method is that normal voice energy, or transient signals such as from interference or crosstalk, may cause a DSP that is monitoring the connection to mistakenly report that a party pressed a key. This disadvantage is even more pronounced in a wireless environment, where the bit error rate or degraded audio quality of the connection often precludes the receipt of a continuous tone.
Another disadvantage in prior directory assistance systems is the inability to restrict the caller""s use of the directory assistance system to connect to specified parties. For example, the party paying for a caller""s wireless telephone service may wish to restrict the caller from making any long-distance calls, or to limit the caller to calls to other parties within one organization, etc. Without the ability to limit the caller""s connections through the directory assistance system, the caller could circumvent the paying party""s restrictions by having the directory assistance system complete the call for him or her.
Traditionally, directory assistance has focused on providing telephone number directory information only. Typically, a directory assistance operator receives a request from a caller for the telephone number of a desired party. The operator locates the required number from a listing directory and may either give the number to the caller or connect the caller to the desired party.
Each year, a growing number of people spend a significant amount of time traveling for business or pleasure. Mobile communication and portable computers have created an opportunity for these people to conduct business and communicate while on the move. Wireless telephones have become a standard business tool in this environment. Wireless telephone users may find current directory assistance services inconvenient or difficult to use. Such users are usually away from their general work environments (for example, traveling in a vehicle), and thus may not be able to remember, or make a note of a desired number. Callers who would normally be able to call upon secretaries or personal assistants at their offices, may not have access to such assistance when traveling. The wireless telephone caller thus needs a comparable service to that which they would experience in an office environment. While improvements to telephone directory assistance have been made over the years, such systems do not fully address the needs of wireless telephone users.
The present assignee has redressed certain of the above-mentioned difficulties by providing directory assistance services that eliminate the need to make notes of the desired number, or undertake a redialing exercise as well as by providing verbal driving directions. The present assignee has also established a country-wide network of directory assistance or call centers that are able to provide its customers with nationwide directory assistance.
However, in today""s directory assistance environments, operator resources are primarily focused on providing telephone number directory assistance. Having an operator respond to a customer""s request for concierge-type services would be expected to introduce delays and inefficiencies into a directory assistance system. Moreover, the information infrastructure to allow operators to provide concierge-type services in a timely and efficient manner is not generally available in the current directory assistance environment.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a method and apparatus by which a caller can, for the duration of a telephone call (i.e., until the calling telephone disconnects from the directory assistance platform), maintain his or her connection to the directory assistance platform and repeatedly receive directory assistance in a variety of forms with minimal or no action on his or her part. There is also a need in the art for means and an apparatus for allocating a monitoring resource, such as a DSP, to a minimal number of telephonic connections. In addition, there is a need for means and an apparatus for verifying a caller""s authorization to connect to a requested destination party through a directory assistance platform.
There is also a need for a nationwide telephonic system that is able to efficiently and effectively receive and respond to requests for concierge-type services from calling customers traveling throughout the country. The system should be able to respond to requests regardless of the locale of the customer or the geographical destination of the request.
In view of the above disadvantages of the related art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for maintaining a telephonic connection for the duration of a telephone call through a directory assistance platform (i.e., until the calling telephone disconnects from the platform) and automatically reconnecting a directory assistance-routed caller to a directory assistance provider.
It is a further object of the present invention to detect, during a call to a customer""s destination party, a telephone network communication problem that causes the call to be unsuccessful, and to connect the caller, with substantially no further action on his or her part, to a live operator for further assistance.
It is another object of the invention to detect a ring-no-answer condition while attempting a call to a customer""s destination party, and, upon such detection, to maintain the connection attempt and present the caller with a menu of directory assistance service options, including the option to continue monitoring the ring tone.
It is a further object of the invention to detect a busy signal while attempting a call to a customer""s destination party, and, upon such detection, to terminate the connection attempt and present the caller with a menu of directory assistance service options, including the option to re-dial the same number.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing directory assistance services, such as connecting customers to directory assistance providers, allowing repeated directory assistance requests from each customer, searching for information to satisfy directory assistance requests, providing such information to customers, and connecting customers to their desired destination parties, as well as enhanced directory assistance services, e.g., recording messages from customers for delivery to destination parties and allowing destination parties, upon delivery of a recorded message, to return the customer""s call with minimal action by the destination party.
It is a further object of the invention to verify a customer""s authorization to complete calls through a directory assistance system. To enable such verification, along with the customer""s call, data concerning the calling telephone number and the location from which the call originated is also received. Based upon the caller""s identity and stored information concerning restrictions on the customer""s calling authority, the caller""s authorization for connecting to desired destination parties can then be verified.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a directory assistance customer with numerous opportunities to request, with minimal action on the customer""s part, the directory assistance system to report the desired destination telephone number.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a directory assistance customer with the customer""s destination telephone number via the customer""s alphanumeric pager.
It is a still further object of the invention to implement the above objects for callers using wireless telephones.
In accordance with the present invention, a directory assistance system is provided that includes a telephone switch or PBX for receiving, establishing, routing, and connecting telephone calls, plus telephone operators, communication links to physically connect the directory assistance system components, and one or more computers, including at least one voice server, to perform a variety of directory assistance functions (e.g., maintain and search databases containing telephone numbers, billing information, call information, etc.; store and execute instructions relating to the operation of the switch or PBX; provide automated voice services and operator functions). Providing access to and from the telephone switch are external communication links that support standard T1, Common Channel Signalling System 7 (xe2x80x9cCCSS7xe2x80x9d), or Integrated Digital Services Network (xe2x80x9cISDNxe2x80x9d) communications.
Calls into the directory assistance system and connections from the system to a caller""s destination number are made over external communication links. Telephone connections over the communication links are monitored to detect keypresses and connection status conditions (e.g., busy signal, dial tone). For example, outbound connections to destination parties are monitored by call progress analyzers (xe2x80x9cCPAxe2x80x9d) to determine if an attempted call is unsuccessful (e.g., a busy signal is detected); once applied, CPAs are allocated to the outbound connection for a period of time sufficient in length (illustratively determined by a specified number of rings of the destination telephone) to determine the success or failure of the connection attempt.
The directory assistance system does not drop its connection to, and involvement in, a calling party""s connection as soon as it initiates a new call leg (i.e., an outbound call to a destination telephone). Rather, the directory assistance system maintains contact, ready to provide further assistance from a directory assistance operator or a voice server until the calling party disconnects from the directory assistance platform. By remaining in the call flow, a directory assistance system according to this invention is able to provide much faster response to customers"" subsequent assistance needs than was heretofore available, which is of particular value to wireless customers who may be distracted by other events. In previous directory assistance systems, in which the system would terminate its involvement after the customer was given its desired telephone number or the directory assistance provider initiated a call attempt to the desired party, the customer was required to reconnect to the directory assistance system if additional assistance was desired.
In a directory assistance system according to the present invention, incoming directory assistance request calls are received by a telephone switch, which is controlled by a switch host computer, via an inbound member of the external communication links and routed to a directory assistance provider. The directory assistance provider may be either a live operator or a voice server that provides automated directory assistance. The switch host computer stores and updates information concerning the status of each active directory assistance call. In addition, a call record is created on a system server to store, for billing purposes, the history of the customer""s call. After receiving a request from the caller, the directory assistance provider locates and retrieves the telephone number of the caller""s desired destination party by searching directory assistance information stored on system servers. An outbound member of the communication links is seized in order to connect the caller to his or her party, and the destination telephone number is dialed over that outbound member. A dual-tone multi-frequency (xe2x80x9cDTMFxe2x80x9d) receiver is applied to the inbound member to detect customer keypresses, which may represent pre-specified directory assistance requests. A call progress analyzer (xe2x80x9cCPAxe2x80x9d) is applied to the outbound member for a period of time to monitor the member for any one of several pre-determined telephone call connection status conditions that indicate an unsuccessful call attempt. Upon detection of such a connection status condition, or when the called party disconnects, the caller is redirected to a directory assistance provider for further assistance.
The present invention is also directed to providing a calling party with telephonic concierge-type services. The concierge service is intended for use by, but not limited to, wireless telephone subscribers. The service encompasses a wide range of concierge-type services such as for example a telephonic restaurant guide and reservation service, ordering specific services such as flowers or food delivery, arranging transportation, accessing entertainment guides, an event ticketing and reservation service, a hotel reservation and availability service as well as a travel or flight reservation and ticketing services.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a nationwide wide area network (WAN) connecting a plurality of directory assistance centers to a server and directory listing database located in an information hub. Communication channels connect calling customers to operators in the directory assistance center. A computer, preferably web-based, interface allows the operator to interrogate the calling customer for information regarding a request for concierge services. Various databases in the system facilitate the generation of the request. Upon completion of the request (called a xe2x80x9cticketxe2x80x9d), the ticket is submitted over the WAN. The server sends the ticket to a fulfillment agent in a directory assistance center proximate to the concierge-type service request. A computer, preferably web-based, interface directs the fulfillment agent through the various actions necessary to fill the request. Communication channels, which allow the fulfillment agents to rapidly and easily connect to the various establishments desired by the calling customers, facilitate the filling of the requests and the notification of the calling customer of the filled request.
The method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the following example. A caller dials and is connected to an enhanced directory assistance service. The caller is informed about the concierge service by a recorded message or by an operator. Alternatively, the caller may already be aware of the concierge service. The operator then obtains a request from the caller. Such a request may either be a request for listing information, such as for example a request for all vegetarian restaurants in a particular area, or the caller may immediately request a reservation, at for example the caller""s favorite restaurant. The operator then obtains the caller""s details and inputs these details into a computer database. Such details may include the caller""s contact details, dietary preferences, desired restaurant location, type of credit card to be used, restaurant views, etc. The operator then looks up listing information from another computer database, based on the caller details, to produce a desired output such as a list of vegetarian restaurants in a specific suburb. A fulfillment agent attempts to contact the restaurant to make the reservation. Finally, the caller is notified whether the reservation was in fact made or not, and any reservation details, if applicable.
In a preferred embodiment, the reservation process is undertaken by a fulfillment agent who exclusively attends to such requests, thus allowing the operator to attend to other tasks. In an alternative embodiment, the operator who receives the request for concierge services may attend to the request.